A Birthday to Remember
by finallyxfound
Summary: It's Cordelia's 26th Birthday and just her luck, everyone forgets.
1. A Boring Day

Author's Notes: Okay, here's another fic that I wrote a while back. I hope you all like it, because I had a great time writing it. Connor doesn't exist in this fic, he was never there in the first place. Also, as you can probably tell by now, if you have read my other fics, I love the character of Anne, so I had to include her in this.

Inspiration: My mom was watching 7th Heaven the other day and the episode where Kevin proposes to Lucy was on and I just took a cue from it. Enjoy!

She was tired. Extremely tired. It wasn't an extremely busy day at the office, but then again she wouldn't know because Angel had her out all day tracking down a source that, as it turns out, died six months before. Plus, it was only her 26th birthday and everyone, including Angel, the man she loved, forgot about her birthday. How could he forget her birthday? They had been together for three years now. This was the man she had been with for three years intimately, ten years as he colleague, and heck, this was the man who begged her to stay in the hotel with him sometimes because he was _scared_.

Her birthday was the pin number for his ATM card, the alarm system pass code and his password to his e-mail account! How on earth could he forget? She was starting to think she was just doomed for birthdays, like Buffy.

19th Birthday: Office Blows up. 20th Birthday: Angel fires them. 21st Birthday: put in comatose state after vision attack. 22nd Birthday: Apocalypse. 23rd Birthday: Angel is put on trial for murder. 24th Birthday: the only good birthday in her mind, Angel finally asks me out on an official date. 25th Birthday: another apocalypse. And here she was at the 26th Birthday: everyone forgets, including Angel. How does everything keep getting turned back around to him? She dragged her feet up the last steps to the door of her apartment.

She wanted this day to be over with now. All she could think about was hitting the sack and not waking up until noon tomorrow. Some birthday. The only type of party she had was with a ghost with a confetti obsession at seven thirty this morning. Searching in her shoulder tote bag for her keys, she flinched when her fingers came upon something sharp.

"Dammit." Cordelia gave up, pulling the flap back over her bag and placing her hands on her hips.

"Dennis, a little help here?" She called out. The door opened gently and she walked in with her head still down.

"Thank you Dennis. I guess you're the only one who rememb...Oh my God..." Cordelia placed her tote bag on the nearest chair and then looked up, stopping mid-thought to gaze upon her newly decorated apartment.

It was filled with flowers and balloons of all sorts. She slowly walked forward as Dennis flipped on the lights. The illuminating light guided her path threw the living room space loaded with latex balloons, peach roses, gardenias, forget-me-nots, violets, more balloons with Happy Birthday written upon them, red roses, lilies and even more peach roses. The floating boxes up ahead told her that Dennis was anxiously awaiting her presence and wanting to know what was in the metallic silver wrapping paper. She sat down on the sofa, beside the invisible man, which again held flowers and a giant sized teddy bear holding a parchment envelope with her name on it.

"Do you know who did this, Dennis?" She asked the friendly phantom she knew was sitting beside her. Carefully opening up the envelope, she read the note with detailed instructions.

_Dearest Cordelia,_

_Happy Birthday! Open your gifts and enjoy them_

_A driver will be at your door at seven thirty sharp._

_Do not ask him questions as he is sworn to secrecy._

_Secret Admirer_

Her heart jumped in place. She was looking forward to whatever her secret admirer had planned. It sure beat the plans that Angel had which were 'sit in my dark room all night reading a book I have absolutely no interest in.' Placing the letter back on the coffee table, she grabbed the top box and quickly unwrapped it, predicting it was some sort of jewelry. Removing the tightly wrapped metallic paper, she lifted the lid and read the card that accompanied it.

_Happy Birthday Cordelia!_

_Love, Wesley & Gunn_

Placing the card aside, she extracted the abundance of cotton and tissue paper that she knew was thanks to Wesley, and pulled out the gift: Flawless, almost one carat diamond stud earrings.

"Oh..." She gasped, lost for any words to describe her emotions right now. They were beautiful. Extraordinarily beautiful. What could she say to them? Thank you just didn't seem enough. Dennis shook the next box in front of her, wanting to know what was next. Taking it out of the air, Cordelia placed the earrings back in the small box and set it aside, diverting her whole attention to the skinny flat box in front of her. Eliminating the paper like she did the previous box, a card was laid upon the mountain of tissue paper signed by Anne. Anne Steele was fairly new to the AI team but became fast friends with Cordelia and Fred. Placing the card aside, she tossed out the sheer paper and laid her eyes upon the black crocodile leather Prague clutch.

"Oh, Annie..." She gasped, checking the inside pockets, just in case. "What on earth are they doing?" She asked herself while Dennis tapped his famous pencil on the table, urging for more presents to be opened. The third box, she knew. She had several of these boxes in her closet, either filled with shoes she didn't wear anymore or were out of season. She set the lid of the box next to her and read the card.

_Cordy,_

_Happy Birthday!_

_Hope you like these. I used all the rules you made for me and splurged._

_Love, Fred_

She knew she would like whatever Fred got her, because they had grown into sisters more than friends. Black, shiny with a single strap at the ankle high heels were presented in front of her. She even had to give herself credit there, her being the one to teach Fred about shoe shopping when they had gotten back from Pylea years ago. And Fred was right, she did follow all the rules. This was wonderful. She was excited about the next package and predicted in her mind that it would be some kind of apparel, calculating in the size of the box compared to the rest.

"Okay, last one Dennis. Do you want to or should I?" She asked, the box moving towards her. "I'll take that as me to do it." Lifting the big box up onto her lap, she took another deep breath wishing for at least a new shirt to show off at the office. Opening up the box, she picked up the oversized card and read it.

_Happy 26th Birthday, sweetheart._

_Love, Lorne_

Short and sweet, just like Lorne. Pushing back the heap of sheer tissue paper, her eyes widened at the sight of the item. Taking it out of the box, she stood up, twirling with the strapless silver toned matte satin dress with bunched up tulle fabric cascading down the length of the dress. It was gorgeous, elegant, exquisite and charming all rolled into one.

"Okay, Lorne is so getting a kiss for this tomorrow." She said aloud, still holding the dress to her body, twirling about the living room floor. Lorne had the best taste in clothes, she reminded herself before being jolted out of her little world by a pencil frantically tapping against the clock on the wall. 7:00 p.m. She only had a half hour to get ready.

"Thank you Dennis." She told the phantom, gathering up the shoes and dress and hurrying back to her bedroom. Maybe this wasn't a bad birthday after all.

"Dennis, are you ready?" Cordelia called out from behind the corridor wall twenty minutes later and waited for his signal. The pencil tapping commenced and she stepped out, showing Dennis the finished product. The music came on and the pencil tapping became louder as Cordelia spinned around, the dress flowing behind her and sparkling in the dim light.

"Is that a good thing?" She asked again, the pencil almost breaking against the table. "I'll take that as a yes." She answered for Mr. Invisible and went over to the sofa, picking up the earrings and placing them on her ear lobes. Tossing her hair back again, she heard the knock on her door. She was nervous. She, Cordelia Chase, Queen C, was actually nervous.

When was the last time she was nervous? Oh yea, the time Angel was almost taken away from her again. Brushing the feeling away, she took another deep breath and opened the door. There stood a man, about her height, dressed in a black suit with a little chauffeur's cap on.

"Miss Chase, I presume?"

"Uh huh." She said apprehensively, shaking her head up and down confirming that she was Miss Chase.

"Happy Birthday. My name's Joe and I'll be driving you. Are you ready?" He asked, showing her the way out of her apartment. She shut the door behind her, clutch in hand and followed him down the stairs to the car waiting on the street corner. Here we go.


	2. What is going on?

"Fred, stop." Anne held Fred's shoulders steady to make her stop moving. "If you don't stop, these pins will be in your skull and not your hair." She warned her again.

"Sorry." Fred said, placing her hands underneath her thighs and taking a deep breath to keep herself from hyperventilating. "What do you think..."

"Fred..." Anne stressed her name, not wanting to speculate what was going to happen tonight. "I bet she's in the car right now with Joe, asking a million questions like someone else I know."

"It's just too bad she won't get any answers." Fred said as Anne placed the last pin in Fred's hair and reaching for the hairspray.

"Just like you." Anne smiled back at Fred in the mirror. "There, you like?"

"I love." Fred looked at her soft curls pinned up in a fashion that only Anne could master. Slipping on her heels, Fred hooked her arm in Anne's and was now ready to see the boys. "How do you suppose the guys are holding up?"

"Well..." Anne stopped at the door frame seeing Gunn over on the couch, twiddling his fingers nervously and Wesley pacing the floor in anxiousness. "Wesley, you owe me a thousand dollars." She told him, walking over to the dining room table that was out in the open, grabbing her clutch and sticking it under her arm.

"What? Why?" He stopped, placing his sweaty palms on the table.

"A new hardwood floor." She stated, pointing down to the wear of the grain caused by the one and only Wesley Wyndam-Pryce.

"Oh." He looked at it and back up at her. "I hardly think that this floor is worth a thousand dollars."

"It will be if you don't calm down and breathe. Are we ready?" Anne asked, reaching for his hand. He gladly took it and opened the door for her, Fred and Gunn. This was going to be a memorable night.

The city was beautiful at night. Cordelia hardly remembered ever seeing it this way. Most of the times, all of the them were out blasting away demons and being splattered with demon guts in the sewers and abandoned buildings of the slum of Los Angeles. The City of Angels, lights all around, tourists scrambling to get their hands on one of the star maps or get their picture taken next to a star at Mann's Chinese Theater. That would be a birthday present, no doubt, finally getting a star in front of Mann's Chinese Theater. Only in your dreams, Cordelia, only in your dreams, she reminded herself. Looking back to the front of the car, she wondered if truly the driver, named Joe, did know anything.

"Hey, Joe..." She started to make an attempt.

"I don't know anything Miss Chase. I'm only here to drive you."

"So, whoever this secret admirer is, you..."

"Don't know him. I was hired by someone else."

"And that would be?"

"Nice try, Miss Chase." Joe looked back in the rearview mirror at her, secretly laughing at her effort.

"Hey, didn't we already pass this place like twenty minutes ago?" She pointed out the place that past by them instantly.

"Yes, we have, Miss Chase. I'm giving your secret admirer just a little more time."

"Time? Just where exactly are we going Joe?"

"Again, good try. But I am sworn to secrecy."

"They all say that." She brushed him, and diverted her attention back to her window and the sights of the city. Whatever this secret admirer had planned, it better be good. Because there was just so many times she wanted to see Los Angeles. Closing her eyes for just a minute, she imagined if this was Angel's doing. It would be perfect. But it wasn't, it was some secret admirer's. Opening her eyes back up, she then realized that they were slowing down. Looking at the landmark where they stopped, her confused look came out to play.

"Uh, Joe..."

"Yes, Miss Chase."

"I don't think this is the right place." She told him as he came around to the passenger side and opened her door.

"The Hyperion Hotel. Yes, it is the right place." He announced, clasping her hand to steady her gait out of the car.

"But this is where I work."

"What a small world." He smiled towards her and extended the hook of his arm for her to latch onto.

"You know something."

"I am sworn to secrecy." He told her again, walking with her through the courtyard and into the main lobby of the hotel, which hadn't changed since this morning. "This way Miss Chase." Joe waved his hand down towards the south wing of the hotel, allowing her to walk ahead of him.

"I'm going to find out something from you." She said, looking back behind her.

"I'm..."

"Sworn to secrecy. Yea yea yea." Cordelia brushed his comment off, still intent on finding out something when Joe walked ahead of her and stopped in front of a pair of double doors. He knocked three times, alerting her _secret admirer_ that she had arrived.

"It has been a pleasure Miss Chase." Joe leaned down and bestowed a gentleman's kiss upon her hand. "Happy Birthday." He finished, opening the doors and ushering her inside. The lights came on to a room filled with even more flowers than her apartment. A chandelier hung in the center of the room illuminating the table set for seven. In the opposite corner of the room was a big band complete with conductor and jazz singer. Right now they were playing one of Cordelia's favorites: _It had to be you._ Everything was like it was pulled right out of her dreams. Slowly walking towards the center of the room, she couldn't believe this was happening. It was just so surreal. Setting her clutch and shawl upon one of the chairs, she took another look around only to find the most handsome man standing there in a tuxedo with at least three dozen mixed roses in his hands.

"Happy Birthday."

"You."

"Me." Angel smiled back at her, laying the flowers down and coming over to her with a kiss that she didn't want to end. "You look amazing."

"Well, duh." She retorted, still hanging onto his neck. "So, you're my secret admirer?"

"Disappointed?"

"Not at all." She brushed her lips against his again, slipping her tongue in and out for effect to make him want more. Giggles from behind her told her to stop and turn around. There were the five perpetrators who had helped Angel with his grand plan, all of them dressed for their so called _private party_.

"You guys..." Cordelia started to get teary eyed seeing them all dressed up like they were going to the grand ball. "All of you are so sneaky." She told them as Fred and Anne walked up and gave her a big hug. Next were Gunn and Wesley, the two big brothers she never had.

"Those look nice." Gunn commented on the sparkle upon her ear lobes.

"You like those? My other lovers got these for me." She joked with them.

"What? Your other lovers?" Angel perked up hearing the word and became concerned.

"She's joking, Angel. Nothing to worry about." Anne assured him, going around to a chair on the opposite side next to Fred.

"And you." Cordelia started to jab her finger into Lorne's bright red jacket. "This is beautiful." She referred to her dress, skimming her hands down it.

"Anything on you is beautiful, sweetheart." Lorne gave her a kiss on the cheek and took his seat next to Gunn. The table was now filled a three course meal complete with three waiters at their disposal.

"Hungry?" Angel lifted his eyebrows toward the woman who still had no idea what was going to happen tonight, followed by one of his smiles that always worked on her.


	3. The End Result

Dinner was great. Caesar salad, French onion soup and breaded chicken smothered in parmesan cheese filled her stomach up until she couldn't eat anymore. She turned her attention back to the bandstand and listened as Lorne sang for them. Fred, Gunn, Anne and Wesley were dancing like they were on air as she heard the pop of the champagne bottle. Turning her attention back to her secret admirer, he started to pour her a glass of the bubbly liquid.

"So, are you having fun?"

"Yes, I am." She took a sip of the champagne and gave him a big smile. "Is this the whole reason why you had me out all day?"

"Yea, basically." He kissed her and took a drink of his champagne glass, toasting her to a vision and apocalypse-free birthday. Setting his glass back on the table, he took out another box from inside his jacket. "Ready for more?"

"More presents? Angel, this is too much."

"This one isn't from me. This one," Angel placed the tiny box into her hands and took another deep breath finishing his sentence, "is from Doyle."

"What?" Her head shot up.

"It's from Doyle. I found it in his apartment after, well, you know. It had your name on it. I wanted to give it to you earlier, but every time I had it ready, a vision, demon, apocalypse or something else got in the way." He explained as she opened the tiny box and like the others was filled with cotton up the wazoo. Inside the tiny box was a pendant that was placed on a skinny silver chain. Her eyes started to well up then, bringing back memories that she thought she could handle now. But the truth was, she would never be okay with the way Doyle left them.

"Here." Angel lifted up a tissue in front of her face and she took it, wiping away the tears that had begun to shed.

"This is beautiful. I can't believe this." She tossed the tissue aside and placed the box back on the table, taking the necklace out of it. Pulling her hair to the side, she unclasped the chain and pulled it around her neck. "Can you help me?"

"Sure." Angel got up and took over where her fingertips were having the problems. Clasping the chain in place, he straightened her hair back out and went back to his chair. "Beautiful." He said, looking at her with most of her birthday presents on. The band switched to another song, this time playing one of Angel's favorites: _A Sunday Kind of Love. _He stood up, brushing off his nervousness and extended his hand. "May I have this dance?"

"Yes, you may." Cordelia looked up and smiled towards him. Sometimes, Angel could be the most insensitive, uncaring manpire in the world. But tonight, she thought slipping her hand into his strong one, tonight we was just a man asking her to dance and sweeping her off of her feet. The lyrics to this song, _A Sunday Kind of Love_, were so perfect for them. A Sunday kind of love, that's what he wanted...with Cordelia. One that will last past Saturday night. He wanted an every minute, every hour, every day love for all of his life. And he had found that love all in the arms of a girl who had turned from bitch to princess to insightful, strong, and caring woman that had come to know more than just his best friend, she was the woman who owned his heart. They swayed on the refinished hardwood dance floor, while Lorne sang the song with all of his heart. Anne and Wes had just finished their dance and were back at the table now, watching the two sway as the influence came from the music.

It was amazing really, that he had planned all of this behind her back and her not even picking up on the clues. Every day she was out while the rest either stayed behind, interviewing 'potential clients' or slaying the slum of Los Angeles, when in truth they were planning the party. All of them knew what he was going to do tonight and all of them demanded to be there when it happened. The music ended then as Angel laid a kiss upon her forehead and clasped his hand tightly in hers.

Walking back to the table, where Gunn, Anne, Fred and Wesley were now sitting enjoying their Tiramisu to full extent.

"Is that good Gunn?" Angel asked, pulling out the chair for Cordelia and watching Gunn scarf the rich dessert down in half a second.

"Mmmm hmmm." He muffled back to them, reaching for the napkin on his lap and wiping half of the dessert off of his upper lip. They all laughed at Gunn, who know knew that he had a fetish for tiramisu and the ballet.

"So, are you ready for one more present?" Angel asked her, sitting down beside her.

"There's more?" She said surprised and excitedly.

"Just one more. You want it know, or should we wait until later?" He asked, teasing her just a little bit.

"Yes. Now is good." She shook her head a few times to emphasize her anxiousness.

"Alright." He said, motioning for the waiters to bring it in and Lorne to come and join them for the last and final gift.

"This must be big." Cordelia said, watching all three of the waiters leave and Lorne coming back over to sit by her with a little get-up in his gait. The waiters came back out rolling a tray with an average sized box on the top and placed it in front of her.

"What is this?" She got up and looked around the box, making sure that there were no loop holes.

"A present. Go ahead and open it." Angel got up and stood closely beside her as she lifted open the top of the box and the sides fell down uncovering a miniature two layer cake.

"I'm not sure I understand. Angel?" A confused brow came upon her face. She turned to find standing a little farther back then before. "Angel?"

Wiping away all the anxiety that was surging through his veins, he wanted to get this over with and he wanted the ring in his pocket on her left hand finger.

"Cordelia Elisabeth Chase, you are the reason I get up in the morning. You are the reason that I'm still standing here today. When I wake up in the morning, I get excited just knowing that when I walk downstairs I get to see your beautiful smile. You were there in the beginning and I want you there by my side in the end. So, I come to you as a vampire with a soul, a champion who needs his princess, and as a man who is madly in love with a woman, nothing more, nothing less and ask you," Angel paused, taking the velvet box out of his jacket pocket and getting down on his knee. Opening up the box, he watched her back up, hands over her mouth and realizing what he was asking her. "Cordelia Chase, will you be my bride?"

There, he got it out. He had babbled his way through getting ready tonight on which version of his marriage proposal to say. Somehow they all got meshed into one and it was perfect, well, not perfect-perfect, but it got his point across.

Cordelia stood there across from him, frozen in time, still in shock of what he had just asked her. The gang sat at the table, watching as Cordelia stood speechless; which was the first time in ten years.

"Anything? Not even an 'oh my god'" Lorne asked from the table, wondering when she was going to even mutter any kind of sound. Anne slapped him slightly on the wrist, sending the death glare his way as well.

"I don't believe this." Cordelia managed to whisper under her hand-covered mouth.

"Believe it." Angel said, hearing her plea. "I hate to rush you or anything, but my knee is starting to stiffen up, any way you could give me an answer say, within the next minute or so?" Angel asked, knowing he was rushing her a bit, but the floor was not all that soft. She removed her hands from her mouth and came back up to him, pulling him up into her embrace. He felt the tears flow then, but couldn't tell if they were happy tears or sad tears. Pulling back away, he brushed his hand over her long brunette hair that seemed to be sticking to a side of her face.

"Does this mean yes?" He asked, wiping away the water on her face. She shook her head yes and leaned up to kiss him. The kiss was deep, one of those kisses that you would like to hand onto forever.

"Yes." She whispered, clutching him in an embrace again. Angel took the impeccable, one carat princess cut diamond on the platinum band and slipped it on her hand. It belonged there, he thought. It was supposed to be there.

"I love you, the soon to be Mrs. Cordelia Angel." He whispered, kissing the tip of her nose.

"And I love you, Mr. Liam Angel." She stopped and hugged him closer when Fred and Anne pulled them apart.

"You're getting married." Fred told her, the statement not really registering in her mind.

"I'm getting married." She repeated, clutching Fred and Anne's hands in hers. It registered. She was getting married. To a man...pire, to Angel. Mrs. Cordelia Angel. It had a certain ring to it and she loved it.

"I'm getting married." She repeated again, grabbing on tighter to their hands. The girls smiled and started to jump around, knowing this meant wedding plans, shopping, invitation lists, picking out the church, if there was to be an actual church., etc. And then they screamed.

"Oh my God!"


End file.
